【明報專訊】All schools in Hong Kong will resume half-day face-to-face classes in phases from next Tuesday. Students must have a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) result, or else they will be barred from returning to school; an arrangement that has sent parent circles abuzz with discussions. Some are worried that the prices of RAT kits will be ramped up again. Some are concerned about the operational details, such as how to prove whether their children have taken the test. Regarding how to handle students who realise that they have forgotten to take the test only after arriving at school, there also seems to be a contradiction between the suggestions of government officials and the opinions of some school principals. To balance efforts to restore normality and maintain safety amid the pandemic, RATs are expected to become another major tool that the government relies on aside from vaccination. Self-testing as a requirement for class resumption is the first of such large ambitions. If implemented properly, it will help the public get used to taking RATs. The government should try its best to get off to a good start. Going to school is different from entering other venues — it is the basic right of students to receive education. For the government, even if it provides free RAT kits for over 800,000 students in Hong Kong in the coming month, the public funds involved will be relatively limited. The authorities should not be stingy.